Eyes down for a full house.....

Most TV adverts have a politically correct bingo card of images that they tick off methodically in a safe attempt to connect with us. A melting iceberg, a coloured man, an old quizzical looking man ect. Have fun spotting them and lets see who gets a full house first....

Sex Pistols - Liar (lyrics on the screen)

Although John Lydon went on to be sectioned when he grew up that doesn't mean to say he isn't acutely good at summing up the human condition. The fact his lyrics point out a liar is in " suspension " waiting to have their cover blown tickles me. Add to the fact the singer already knows the facts makes it all the sweeter. How many times have you watched someone lie when you know the truth ? Priceless.

Just who is the V6 aimed at ?

The Dyson V6 is not a hoover that will stand up to constant daily use. It is a hoover for modern woman who on returning home after a hard days work feels the need to make a nominal attempt to tidy their house, hence its easy light weight construction. It must be easy to use because a modern woman will feel demeaned if she has put any visible amount of physical effort into her house work and nay, maybe she may even harbour feelings of oppression and resentment if such a job takes anything other than a few wizzes of the unit.

It's Kevin - Naughty Adolf Hitler Speaks like George Martin

If Hitler did interviews ? lol

Blastarama. Is there such a word ?

Blasts from the past, both online and in real life seem to be the order of the day Funny how old friends seem to randomly trip into your circle or circle of those close to you. Sometimes someone else close to you bumps into them instead, however hard you try to do this yourself....it never seems to be. If this happens it is almost as though you are not meant to see them directly, maybe.
   Snow on the hills and a Winter type moon in the pale blue sky reminds me of past times. They are on my mind again. Winter seems to have a sweetness in the air. I feel in a good mood too.

I Live 'ere... World Wide Web

We are soon to get a Super Fibre through the dale it seems......

Only on the Discovery Channel could you learn that pouring Coca Cola down a tube can be one method of forcing an Octopus out from under a large rock at low tide....

Lacoste commercial - Eau de lacoste polo shirt

Not quite sure why this advert fascinates me. Maybe the neat hand movements ?

Wes Craven's NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) - iconic bathtub scene

Still one on the classic all time great horror films.

NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto feat will.i.am – TV Commercial

I am not a great fan of Will.i.am or whatever he calls himself ( and i hate coffee ) but his remix of a classic here still gives me the chills. Impressive ?

It's Kevin - Dubstep

Do you like a bit of Dubstep ?

I Love Round Up !

In fact I love Round Up. I have treated acres of our land with it this summer, clearing masses of rushes that were just taking over. Ive used it on Ivy too that is damaging buildings and my garden wall. I'm not playing devils advocate here, just stating what an essential tool this is when fighting a pitch battle against nature. Many think nature is benign. It is not. It just wants to destroy EVERYTHING in you physical life and possesions. Is it not so ? THINK....

  Of course the real problem have with Round Up is because it is made by MONSANTO who are heavily involved with GM foods. In fact this herbicide has the same cancer risk as alcohol. Not a fact banded around much on the web.

I did however hear that it is sprayed directly onto corn before harvesting to help the husk dry faster. That seems just plain mad I must admit despite it being deemed safe. I guess its application needs common sense ?

Things can only get better.....

Well my blogs have had their high and low points over the years, and to be honest they kept me sane during turbulent times, but this week my sole viewings were through a variety of Porn sites. This is definitely rock bottom ( no pun intended )  In the past ive had 5o or 60 page views a day through VampireStats.com at times. And no, ive not a clue what that is either. The internet can be a dark place.

An unexpected Bastard !

Apparently today ive been seeking a " bastard " !   Well that's what a certain sized bolt is called in engineering terms. That's its proper name. The store clerk told me this term is a well known name for this bolt of an " in between " length and girth, a special name reserved for this awkward oddity of unusual dimensions. It is not a generic term but a specific one for the bolt of this size, and its not a joke, though tonight I wonder if he was pulling my leg...but he seemed 100% serious.

Rob Zombie - Girl On Fire lyrics

Hurry Mr Rush...Autumn Is Coming

Are you ready for Autumn ? 

Timbuk 3 - The Future's So Bright

Although I never went to University, I still see this great optimism for the future coming from those who are about to go or are already there. I'm not sure that world exists anymore. I think this is an out dated concept, but when will the penny fall ?

Really ? lol

Middle class, dumb, arrogant and ignorant .

Just this very moment a Sky News presenter has mocked a fisherman at St Ives in cornwall who has put up signs warning people to not get to close to or feed the wild seals in the sea. The fisherman says a seal can rip off a childs arm, such is their power, and he should know shouldn't he ? The news readers response to this warning is a sarcastic raising of her eyebrows in mockery. What the fuck would she know ? Middle class, ignorant fluffy wuffy arrogant thinking. Here is the problem of people who think they know about nature. They have no idea. I would trust the view of the man who makes his living from the sea and heed his unpolitically correct warning.

Who would you trust ?

Admiral Insurance used to have an old sailor figure who was the admiral cos he looked a trusted figure. Today we have a much younger more photogenic man to appeal to a younger audience. Well tonight its seems the admiral has evolved to be a reasonably attractive woman cos we are all slaves to pussy.... sorry to be crude but these are the times we live in. The same has happened with Birds Eye fish products but involves a fisherman, well he has not become a woman but he has got much younger. Now I'm thinking ( yes really ) my daughters Bob the Builder character has also got younger and he has a young blond female sidekick. Were all doomed....

The most recent female version....can you resist ?

There is no such this as a racist...

Just a person waiting to be proved Right or Wrong

Gucci Bamboo: Introducing the New Fragrance for Her

The " Urban Space "  woman   ?   Does she exist ? !

The stars of dull radio

Mealy mouthed, nasally sounding, understated, professionally trained, female PR spokes women. Radio 5 is full of 'em all offering their ultra safe and politically correct views to the airwaves in a risk free manner. The companies they speak for are happy and the radio station is happy as they are easy guests to interview. Mutually assured non events that don't rock the boat. The only person who isn't happy here is the poor listener...well unless he is a truly brain dead type who has had his opinions quashed a decade ago, and how do we know how predominant he is today ? I can only offer my personal opinion here, and its usually found siding with the minority view points nowadays. What happened to dangerous radio ? We had an American style national talk station in the UK once, but it quickly became a Sports station....yawn. Nice and predictable for the average moron. Anything to keep the status quo, eh ?

Shit happens x 100

Fucking photgraphs

Its been a long while since ive had a good rant and tonight ive fucking had it with photo's. Having being automatically upgraded to Windows 10 against my will, I now find that I cant load new photo's off my digital camera onto my laptop, but hey fucking ho, my wifes phone has loaded all hers onto the laptop automatically without her knowing, and there are hundred of mundane ones blocking everything up. This is a step to far so ive smashed my camera and thrown it in the bin for a second time. Fuck this complicated bullshit, I haven't the time for it. We waste so much time taking photographs that we miss seeing whats in front of us, besides when a hard drive crashes (and they do ) all photo's are lost anyway. Its just a matter of time, so why play the confidence trick of taking them in the first place. Its all very fashionable to take so my photographs but its a fools game in the end and I'm fucking through with it. Fuck it.

This one is for all the internet guru's who preach it is so wrong to judge.

The real problem in Britain

The real reason for all the current woe in Britain is the fact that the various political party ground members have different views to their own MP,s further up the food chain. The MP,s will only express safe views and hence promote their own popularity with the general public. Eventually never the twain meet and there is trouble

The second problem is that uncompromisingly politicians who speak their true views are painted as idiots who are out of touch by the media. I present to you in this category-  Donald Trump, Jeremy Corbyn, Nigel Farage ect. True visionaries with passion are set upon, this furthers the problem in the above paragraph.

I feel we are entering a social revolution at the moment.

Sex Pistols - Silly Thing.flv (OFFICAL VIDEO)

So you voted Brexit  ? !

The 1975 - A Change Of Heart (Lyrics)

I came across this song on my car radio while on holiday. Ive never heard lyrics like this before...

We can all be too predictable

This kind of predictable mind subconsciousness make us susceptible to scammers and confidence tricksters. I guess once you know the moves then deception becomes childs play ?

Got to find a way, a better way, a better way....lol

Not really in a writing mood. Its a week until I go on holiday and my mood is getting blacker by the day. Something always seems to be annoying me day by day now. People seem to stand in my way and present awkward obstacles in my path. For instance I tried to park in our village and had to move three times for on coming cars, then on a return trip through a narrow alley I met a mother and push chair in the way. People just seemed in the way !!  Each little incident is another straw on the camels back as they say. Truth be told ive got to get away. Living and working everyday in the same dale drives me mad eventually and this manifests in my worsening temper...
  Yesterday someone rang me up to complain some sheep were in his field. He was only concerned as he is being paid by a conservation scheme to keep the field empty. I mean how stupid is that ? Once farmers fenced their sheep to keep them on their own land, and now they fence them to stop them getting into others fields that are empty of sheep. Just nuts. I spent the afternoon sweating in the sun putting up two stone gaps. Of course this next week will bring more annoyances for sure. Ive seen it all before...
 
 

" Before a man becomes a Father he will relive his whole childhood "

? !

Its true. Ministers and Vicars are career orientaded nowadays. They dont go where they feel a calling, well they do but its suspiciously an urban calling, close to a good school for the kids and part time work for the wife. No one wants to come to a rural northern district anymore and even if they do it is for a short interim time. Like most things the soul has rotted out of over time.   

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1057411750964036&set=a.105943432777544.4474.100000856645226&type=3

Paw Patrol Brave Rescues with Thomas & Friends and Minions | Peppa Pig a...

My four year old is always watching things on you-tube. At first I thought they were mainly episodes of her favourite TV shows, but no, most are home made films that have been made using plastic toys. All the films look quite well polished in their presentation, and the narrators all have a certain twang or accent to their voices. These films are new phenomena online and are not something that my generation ever got the chance to watch. It must take people hours to make them though. Some films have over 8 million hits ! Is this true fame ? And exactly who is making all these offerings ?

Kendal man

 

 

So who is " Kendal man " ?  He is the average representative of a male from the " Olde Grey Towne " This sleepy northern town was once the jewel of the Lake District, but due to environmentally bloody minded town planners and traffic consultants ,is now experiencing falling number of visitors. The once proud mens wear stores have closed down and are being replaced by gambling shops and sandwich bars. There are also several pawn shops and a new housing estate that has been built especially to take all the types of tenant that other councils in other parts of the country don't want to house. Nobody acknowledges this, ever.  Period. Enough of Kendal mans environmental examination though, lets look at physical traits...
   Kendal man is in his 50's, tall, slim and has silver or white hair. His main mode of transport around the towns contorted one way system is his bike, he has a non descript impossibly clean family hatchback, but his wife is always driving it ,and as his marriage is in a dicky state he just lets her get on with it.
  He has worked in a solicitors office since he left school. He is counting the years, nay days to retirement when he plans to buy a V W Transporter  which he will take everywhere with him on his planned hiking trips of the future, besides his mortgage is nearly paid off due to frugal living, or what he thought was frugal living. He lives in bright optimism that his retirement will be smooth and comfortable. He might even take up jogging if he becomes a little too comfortable, or walking the dog in torrential wet weather. One has to make public displays of uncomfortableness occasionally.

Nostalgia....  

Time to get this sorted

After weeks of headaches behind my eyes I have finally booked an appointment at an opticians. This seems to occur after ive been watching my laptop screen. I have trouble reading small print near to me as well. Also when parking my car I have trouble judging the distance I am from say a wall or another car. Ive driven into a few parking barriers in the past and bushes ! 
   Exactly what style of glasses  ( I use that word with caution ) will suit me I don't know. Im the sort of person who will take week to choose a pair and maybe never still be completely happy with how I'll look wearing them. My last eye test revealing nothing was wrong though. Annoying. Maybe my sinus pain is affecting my vision, maybe my vision is causing the sinus pain ?

Green Day - Warning (Video)

Lions don't bite, sharks are cuddly, bulls don't charge, Gay people are normal, banks are there to help, most paedophiles are straight, bees don't sting, safety first, country folk are generous, speed kills, save for your retirement, cars are killing the planet, diesel doesn't pollute -   ALL WRONG, ALL LIES...

A few photo's of home

Deep Purple - Made in Japan - Highway Star (video)

At last that car is fixed properly.

One swallow doesnt make a Summer

Its absolutely perishing, snow, sleet, wind and rain. Its been a grey wet day with a gusty wind and a grey sky. Ive never known such a Wintery atmosphere in April. Thankfully the sheep are lambing slowly as the fields are too wet to turn them out to, they are best inside this kind of weather. It seems this Winter never ends, neither does the rain. Its got beyond a joke and its gone too far. If this is a result of global warming then we in the hills are going to get the sharp end of it first. Already the animals are turned out to grass a week later at least than when I left school. Summer is arriving later. Funnily I saw the first swallow roosting in a building tonight. I guess it will be regretting arriving just now, even though I have seen them a week earlier than this in the past.

Of little use anymore ?

There eventually comes a day when talking to your parents about a problem is a waste of time. Its nice to think they can advice you, but one day and that day is now, their answers are short winded and flippant. If I further explain my view point I just get puzzled luck, an atmosphere of mild annoyance and then usually total mis- comprehension about how seriously I value the points ive just made. The whole situation ends in me feeling angry and them, well not even seeing that. As people get older they perfect the art of not letting anyone elses negativity stick to them. They do not hang around it anymore. I realised this about my parents when I was moaning to them recently about things. It made little impact and only emphasized the fact that they are more switched off in their old age than they used to be.

Writing the unprintable

I have started my midnight writing stints again. Its been a long while since ive woken up with inspiration on my mind. My writings don't hold back, and im afraid they are un-postable due to their intensity, even the thoughts of people ive never met reading them fills me with dread. Exactly what im gaining from writing such pieces remains to be seen. I must be benefitting somehow and I have done so in the past. What extreme thoughts or scenes will visit me tonight ? Go on, you can blame that up and coming green moon if it makes more sense to you, but im really the only one to blame here.

Im in a very odd mood this weekend

 

 

Disturbing, but funny still...

Quote of the week

" Ive done up a house with redundancy money before, and I will do it again... " ! 

Sick, sick, sick, sick and more *&^&&**& sick of waiting...

 

 

I am sick, absolutely sick of everything. Im sick of rain. Im sick of a never ending Winter. Im sick of mud and hail. Im so sick that I find it hard to state just how sick I am of cars. My new car is having a second gearbox repair at my own expense. In the 6 weeks ive owned it ive been waiting for 3 of them for it to come out of garages. Im tired of days filled with rain that drag on and on. Time moves slow and nights are cold and wet. Im fed up of waiting for people. Im sick of it. I don't know whats gone wrong in the scheme of things during this last 2 months, but I seem to have lost my way and im heading only ever in one direction. I feel trapped in a " ground hog " style scenario. Just a change of season would jolt me out of this rut, but I wait. I wait and I wait and I wait. As I type the room darkens as another heavy hail shower moves up the dale. After the wettest Winter on record this is the final straw.

Politically correct wildlife ?

Its truly bizarre that in 2016 a new kind of political correctness has emerged. Once these ideas were related to people and their supposed equality. I have no need to cover old ground here so lets bang on...The new politically correct idea that is emerging is that animals that have previously and traditionally always been perceived as dangerous, are in fact not so dangerous if the correct mode of approach is used. Hence we have silly TV presenters on the BBC swimming in rivers containing crocodiles, swimming with sharks and walking around with tribes men in areas known to support lions. The general fluffy idea peddled is that these animals are not really as dangerous as we have traditionally been taught they are. We have been rather silly in our stereotyping of them, or even dare I say it childish ? ! This idea may well be true when we know that people who live next to these animals everyday can read them and their danger signs. Of course these animals don't attack all the time, BUT WE ARE NOT AT ONE WITH THEM ON A DAILY BASIS. To us they are still as dangerous as they have always been. This silly idea of cuddly predators is very dangerous and stupid. I have seen some very stupid stuff peddled on TV but this takes the biscuit.

Who are they kidding ?

 

 

If I have to read one more facebook update about how nothing matters, and we are all equal, and how the poster is above every human emotion I shall scream. I find this kind of thinking dangerous...After all, if they are so enlightened why are they scrabbling around posting statuses for others to approve ?

A strange night. Half a bath. A bad back and my car is still in bits in the garage... going to bed.

Once again....

 

 

Well lambing season is here once again. Its cold and wet, and snow is even settling high on the hill tops. Once again the land is saturated and sheep are having to be moved to dryer fields that should be kept clear until later. Its a case of " robbing Peter to pay Paul " again this year. All is being gambled on some dry weather coming in the next 10 days. It will come as it has to. If not then we will see a mud bath and disaster. Its funny how this situation on a knife edge knife edge occurs most Springs now. Above are some lambs we are bottle feeding as their mothers are not producing  enough milk for them to thrive properly. We have so far 3 today, and maybe another tomorrow...

Chain messages..... Grrrrrrrr !!

If there is one thing I cant stand it's chain type letters or more accurately messages sent to me on facebook. I look in my message box too often only to find a complicated sequence of events I must pass on to umpteen other people " I know " in order to see some miraculous occurrence manifest itself upon me. This event has even been narrowed down to the next 30 minutes ! Wow, how do they do that, eh ? Must be old school magic....
  What really pisses me of further is when such a message suggests that if I fail to complete their silly task that it is a judgement on my attitude to them, the sender. What a load of horse sh1t ! It is a judgement on the sender that he or she feels the need to pressure me into playing their silly game, besides with all the viruses around at the moment such messages are just plain stupid and risky. And believe me when I say that I would never judge you on whether or not a chain message of mine ( should I ever send one ) was or was not acted upon. It is a silly idea given too much attention. I just ignore them. I also ignore the ones telling me to post things on other peoples behalf on facebook. Do it yourself. Its not my problem if you got blocked by someone you knew or even by facebook itself !!!  Got blocked for that post about 911 conspiracy you made ? NOT MY PROBLEM !!!

Gears of War ( an attempt to make this post sound more interesting )

This weekend saw the first sunny warm day of the year. It also saw me with a weekend to myself and the whole house to myself. So what else would I do other than take my freshly mended car out for a blast, and blast is the operative word here as the power is quite ridiculous.
  Well things went very well as all was happy in the garden as they say until I noticed movement and wear in the gears that had previously been OK, but not in the ones that had been fixed under warranty...The garage has obviously just fixed the gears that I told them had wear. I guess they have done their part, but the whole range might as well been renewed while the box was out, especially when that group of gears are notorious for all wearing together and even affecting each other.
  Friends say send the car back under warranty, but I just wonder what will be wrong next time it comes back Cars have taught me a lot through all the stress of the last few months. They have brought about mental changes in me, quite profound ones at that.

UPDATE :

Super Troll !!

I have an unusual problem. I befriended a man on facebook a couple of months ago who was at that time just a bit of a joker. It turns out now that he is a troll. He delights in suddenly changing his happy go lucky attitude to an abusive one. He also delights in trying to cultivate the idea that im trying it on with my female facebook friends. Of course he gets great mileage out of these jaunts, but eventually people get tired of the joke and it wears thin. I never know who he has been winding up on my wall when I log on in a morning. I have tried to block him but his name is not recognized by facebook and I unfriended him a few days ago, and I unfriended him again this morning !! Ive blocked plenty of people before, but none have been unblockable, they may have had multiple accounts but I rooted them out eventually. I don't know what to do next. Maybe report this to facebook if it continues ?

Deliverance (1972) Theatrical Trailer HQ

Is America scared of its own back yard  ?

Ive always liked Rob Zombie, even his solo work is original. He is never afraid to push things forward and blending a funk type sound into a metal track works well. It gives the track a fresh sound. This reminds me very much of The Almighty's brass section in All Sussed Out. Pure genius !!

I had a phone call today. Autoglass have cancelled the fitting of my windscreen again today

We are now on week 5 and the 6th attempt to get this windscreen fitted. Im guessing the 7th attempt will succeed as most things cannot hold out more than 7 times. This is not coincidence. Something is very wrong here.

Prodigy - Mescaline (Molotov Beatz Remix) HQ

Men ; We cant just walk down the street can we !!

Tubeway Army / Gary Numan - Are 'friends' electric?

This track brings back a haze of emotions...Feels like its always been just beneath the surface of my mind. Awesome.

Gary Numan - Cars

I couldn't help myself....

Prehaps you'd better start at the begining....

It all started with a pot hole, a rather big pot hole that I hit in my car one night. I buckled a wheel and damaged  a tyre. Not a big deal until I discovered the wheel bearing was damaged and a hub and a calliper and a drive shaft got damaged as I removed it from my car. Hence I ordered a hub off ebay. The second hand hub arrived bent, the second hand drive shaft arrived with damage too and was useless and the brake calliper from a local parts shop was for the wrong side when I opened the box.
   Nobody gives a damn any more about the parts they sell on ebay. They price them cheaply so its not worth your while posting them back. A crafty trick. Once they have your money they don't care. Any way after several frustrating weeks my car is back together, but the worst is yet to come as the windscreen needed replacing. Well im not messing around doing that. I called in a professional national firm to fit it. Autoglass. What could possibly go wrong now ?

   Autoglass arrived one morning to remove broken screen. Unfortunately the man said he must return in a weeks times as it was a 2 man job to remove the old screen ? OK, fair enough. Another week later 2 men turned up with a new screen but that one had a damaged electrical connection. They fitted it any way as a weather proofing fix and would replace it in another week with a new hopefully correct one. Another week later I get a phone call. Appointment cancelled. Another week later ( today ) the wrong glass is stock. Next Friday is now D - day, but im not holding my breath. I make it that im in week 4 now of waiting. Oh and the car I bought recently is back in the garage having a gearbox repair done under warranty. So what have I learnt this past month. Why have things gone so badly wrong ?

  My paranoid side says that the window screen firm is having a laugh. The receptionist when I ring up is a Scottish youth. He sounds tinny and false on the phone. He doesn't have any gravitas about him. He even sounds slightly amused somehow. Why cant people stick to a date to get work done ? The same thing happened this morning when Halfords rang me up to change an appointment to fit a car CD player in my wifes car. People just cannot stick to a time or date. It is as though they compulsive urge to change said date at last minute.

  Another reason things have gone so wrong is that nobody cares about the items they are selling anymore or whether they are damaged. As long as they get their money they don't give a fudge anymore. In fact people just buy a whole new car rather than mess around fixing it. I am an outdated person who fixes things. Truth be told I haven't the energy for that anymore. The number 23 has started appearing again so there is more turmoil and change ahead once more... I need to look again at what my expectations are of any firm doing work for me, and then revise them downwards. In fact ive already started with Halfords. I will be very surprised if they actually fit a CD player on a Friday. The employee who rang up today to change the time muttered  something about it being due to a mans shift finishing. Bloody hell he we go again...

   I feel a lot better for writing this down as I have been filled with anger about how times and people are so useless recently. Its a sad reflection on what weve become. In fact such a sea change is quite worrying and it makes me tense. It is uncomfortable to think that your actions may have to be decided by what requires the least energy to do or the easiest option. No longer can I rely on other people. Those days have gone for ever

Affection, the forgotten emotion between love and lust...

Death of an Accent

It is so sad to see that local children are no longer inheriting local accents, in fact they all (including my daughter ) speak with quite a fine southern twang to their voices. If local children were all born here, then why are they not picking up a local accent ? How could they possibly not inherit this ?
   I think the answer lies in the fact that many couples have moved here from the south. Somehow their accents have become dominant. Of course this wouldn't lead to a complete loss of the northern accent, but I think the hammer blow has come from childrens TV channels. Children are obviously spending more time being exposed to these accents rather than their parents ones, of course if they have southern parents this will be by the bye. I still find it hard to believe either or both explanations have had such a drastic effect, and maybe there are other factors more complex ? Either way the result is the same. I will sound different to my own daughter. She will speak better and clearer than me. She will not for instance drop her " h "  s from her sentences. She will sound more educated from the out set. Will she notice my different accent as she grows up ? She already corrects my speech at 4 years old. Something really has change with children. Exactly why this is fascinates me...

Watchmen intro Bob Dylan "the times they are a changin' "

 

 

" Your looking kinda down, you know your your not the same. You need a little something just to get you back in the game... "

 

 

Its  time for a fresh car and this time I have actually bought a top model performance version in a mean black colour with big wheels and a silly power figure to match. I nearly bought something sensible and new and twice the price but I have let my heart rule my head. Time will tell how this pans out. It is not normal for me to throw caution to the wind. This is not just a fast car, it symbolises something else that I have not yet grasped.

Is This The New Acceptable ?

I have just opened yet another bill from British Telecom for a house I moved out of 4 months ago. I had cancelled the Direct Debit previously months ago to. Why are they just sending out bills to me as though im still living there ? Because they are fucking low life chancers like every other organization out there. Im sick of people just sending me bills with no logic to them and for a house I no longer live in. I have had a long period of being at the end of useless peoples efforts. My electric and water company were the same. There seems to be a complete lack of morals when it comes to charging for services. It is basically legalised fraud. Is this the new acceptable ?

Tipping Point

This morning was the first morning in weeks that it actually stopped raining. The sun even came out and the sky was a beautiful blue and pink. As the mornings are getting lighter sooner so are the birds starting their dawn chorus. That is always a sign that the season is slowly grinding on. It brings an energy that can only come through a change of mood. It is as though nature is giving me an advance warning that Winter is further along than my mindset seems to want to admit. Of course Spring is along way off and appears painfully slowly here. In fact their should be names to capture the varying stages of its manifestation. Simply the word Spring is far too generic. Of course each stage has its mood for me.
  Spring is a very busy time for me as the sheep start lambing over 6 weeks. As the weather warms up people start to relax and shake off Winter. It is quite irritating when your busy. Sometimes I wonder how it would feel to simply watch Spring unfold without any work to do. I guess even though I work closely with nature, I would see much more if I was to just sit back and have nothing to do but watch it. I cant imagine watching a season without it having work conitations . That's the curse of being a Farmer. The seasons totally rule me and how im thinking. Im so close to nature that maybe I don't always see its splendour. Show me a landscape and I will be thinking of it in monetary terms or how easy or hard it would be to farm. Its hard wired into me.
  Come June I always go on holiday as living and working in the same valley all the time can send you mad, and people do go mad here... There is something subtly oppressive about this place, a tension or maybe a glibness of the mind too. It is seen as quite acceptable in my valley to just work and die. People do work and they do die. Life cares not and nature doesn't even acknowledge anyones passing to the point that it seems offensive.
  Any sort of endeavour here attracts attention. Life under a microscope. If I express an opinion then it is rolled out to cover every part of my life. Reputation is the ultimate king, even though it is probably biased and unrepresentative of a varied human outlook.
  Very much on my mind at the moment is mending my ageing car after hitting a huge hole in the road. I may even throw in the towel and buy a newish one if the mood takes me. The trouble is new cars are so light and plastic and built no longer to have fun in. They have become just tools that must look nice and return reasonable economy. Like may modern things they have become soulless. Music is the same as is TV as time goes by. To find a car that moves me will take some doing but unless it does move me than I cant think about shelling out for one. Im a dinosaur looking trying to recapture the 90's.

Iron Maiden - The Duellists Lyrics

After being ambushed by two hard sell car salesmen this week, I feel like ive fought a duel. In fact I was physically sweating by the end of it. I found myself adeptly attacking, defending and sometimes just giving ground verbally when it made strategic sense. It was all a mind game and every single prop was used to try and gain the upper hand on me. To cultivate guilt at not wanting the car seemed to be their top goal. Guilt is a very strong emotion and a new marketing method that theyre using nowadays, and not a very nice one. Still if it gets results then I guess anything goes ?
  As I don't have a history of debating my views face to face with people everyday, I today looked back wondered just how I had handled the contest so well ? I conclude it is because of all the arguing ive done in the past on silly facebook debating pages. They teach you the art of attack, defence and the timing of retreats. I guess they are useful for something then !!

A Dirty Trick

Yesterday I put down a £ 200 refundable " retainer " on a car at my Ford dealer. The sales man said I could redeem it later if I changed my mind. Next day after a 2nd test drive I did change my mind, Suddenly he was calling this fee a " deposit " and not refundable. He then set about on a hard sell and various physcological guilt trips to try and push the sale through. Eventually I lost my cool and started to raise my voice in the reception ( funny how that always gets things moving ) The head manager came out and I got my refund.
   This is just the kind of low trick you would expect from a high pressure sales man.  " Ive done my part, Ive let you drive the car twice, now you need to do your part " What ever happened to test drives and browsing ? Just because you test drive a car more than once does not make you morally obliged to buy it. What a low and sleazy and nasty trick to pull on a potential customer. When I mentioned I would be looking at other cars or makes of cars he said he would " hold on to the £200 for me " I said you must joking In no uncertain terms . What an ass hole.Anyway I got my refund and ive learnt an important lesson - Never ever let anyone take money from you and use this a pressure tactic. Refundable or not ! Lesson learnt.

Have a go ? No, thanks...

Ive never understood the mentality of " have a go hero's " This weeks local paper has a piece written about a woman who " tackled " a man robbing a shop who was armed with an axe. Why would anyone put their own safety at risk to stop a man they don't know stealing a few pounds from a shop they don't have anything to do with ? Who cares if he's robbed the place ? Just let the Police do their job. Why put your life in danger ? Of course its often claimed that the reaction to tackle a threat is a reflex one, and the person doing it doesnt have time to consider the risk involved, and if that isn't an example of recklessness then I don't know what is. Saying that ive yet to hear of anyone getting killed or seriously hurt doing this. Maybe the both the robber and hero are both in a state of automatic reflexes and they cancel each other out in an equilibrium ? Whoops, wrong blog !

Most of them run " discussion forums " where they threaten you with  private messages to conform to their agenda. Who the hell do they think they are ?  I had one such message just this morning..

I am a glutton at the moment. I eat fried food and chocolate cake everyday. I feel sluggish. The weather is mild and wet. Moisture penetrates every pore of me. Im tired most of the time.  My dreams are way to vivid . My car is off the road and im waiting for a new wheel to be delivered. This is irritating me. Im vegetating.  I have irritable bowl tonight from eating some sausages that contained too much fat.This is all just a phase though. I'll bounce back. I feel like buying something but I don't want anything. That sums up my mood !

Spade ? Check...Hole ? Check.....

I am seriously considering starting a new blog posting my observations on / of women. Maybe...

The Almighty - Waiting For Earthquakes

How we Brits see America  ?

Answer me these questions three. Ere the other side you'll see....

This week has been an eye opener. Having become more and more delusioned with capitalism, I have actually discovered that we are all in deeper than we were before, and have ever wanted to be. Due to low interest rates a sum of money, if it is to produce a reasonable return, must be invested in a bond that has links to the stock market. All safe savings accounts which dont use speculation are such poor performers that they are only a short term solution. There is no safe option anymore. The stock market now has even more power over us, even when we have come to fear and loathe it.
  These bonds are only accessible via the payment of fees that will make your eyes water. Hence the " gate keepers " who advice you and guide you. They also get their fee, and you are the one offering your money !
  Of course you can get guaranteed  bonds where you get back what you invested ,but they have higher yearly fees. Its all a gamble. The bank is gambling that it will not have to honour such a pledges ,and to be honest when I asked if they  even could I wasn't impressed with the response !  Never have times been so dangerous. No one knows the future.

A Draining Week

Nearly everyday this week I have had a meeting with someone or other. Ive talked about things ive never had to consider before. Im on the back foot at the moment, and that's always uncomfortable. Despite this scenario going better than I had previously expect, I feel exhausted and drained. My eyes feel like " two piss holes in the snow "  What movie was that line from ? It starred Kris Kristofenson, no Im too tired to spell his name properly...

The Times They Are A Changing

Ive recently moved house. I had previously lived in rented accommodation that was built by a housing association. They rent out houses cheaper than the commercial rates as they are a charity. Of course they make extra money from you as they fit subsidised green energy systems that are inefficient and costly to run etc, but that's another story...
   Ten years ago these houses were greatly sought after and there was a waiting list too. In fact when I filled out my application I was required to write a short piece about why I thought I was entitled to live in them. They are for local people solely. I was very surprised after I moved out upon hearing the housing association was having trouble finding anyone interested in renting my old house ! What has changed in the last 10 years then ?
  I know that renting has become stigmatised, as has any subsidised housing. People have become very proud. This kind of housing is now seen as a step down. Also I don't think many people can find jobs anymore around our village, and if they are thinking of settling down then they move nearer to a town of a reasonable size. Banks and services are in decline too...
   So who has moved in then ? Well as no local wanted our old house a foreign guy who works in the local pub has. Times really have changed. Once this would have caused an up roar but no one seems to care any more. The fact there was no one local who wanted to move in is a very bad sign. Things are in decline alright.
  The final twist though is that a few weeks after I moved out it seems the government has extended its " right to buy " policy to this kind of property even though it is run by a charity. This scheme was previously limited to government built houses. Tenants will be able to buy the house they have rented at a discount price and make a packet. I have missed this  scheme by weeks having moved out too soon. Maybe this is as well as I always took heart that these houses would one day help someone like I was looking for a cheap home to rent in a affluent area ( well affluent people have moved here ) Would I have sold out my beliefs ? Once these houses have gone for young people to rent cheap then I don't know what the future holds. The sad thing is that they don't even seem to be needed today anymore, so if they get sold off then maybe its not such a  great disaster

FROZEN PARODY: When it's NOT OKAY to sing 'Let it Go'

Me, me, me, me.....Yes !

Its sometimes easy to forget that no one looks after your interests better than you do. This is includes family, partners and people who give you professional advice. Everyone has an angle. Everyone wants to influence you. No one can resist the power of being influential... Lets here it for YOU !!

Well I can only take " So Much "

Today my daughter came home with this book given to her by the nursery she attends. At first I found the fact it was loaded with racial stereotypes rather amusing, but when the poor grammar started to match the images of the characters in the book, then that is a step too far. Lets have a look first at the characters....

 

 

The overweight jolly Aunt and her sidekick...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ghetto boys....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are other stereo types too, but its the incorrect grammar that really annoys me. There is a distinct lack of the letter S in sentences that gives the narrative a distinct lazy ethnic sound, maybe even American. This is unforgivable in a book that's designed to help children learn to read. And they say that our children are not being dumbed down, or being racially brain washed. This book I see was published in London, and maybe this language is OK there, but as far as im concerned this is still England and we speak English !!

David Bowie - Let's Dance

Every time I hear this song Im taken back to the 80's . I remember listening to this song in our school minibus,it was bright orange with perforated brown vinyl seats. We were on a weeks field trip to the Lake District. Into my mind pops grey slate skrees and lakes and mountains. I can still feel the exact moment that song came on the radio, and how one female History teacher turned to the male Physical Education teacher and shared a comment they both found amusing, but I  couldnt quiet hear it above the song. Its funny how a song can capture a split second, however random.

Today I Met Julia

Today I met Julia. Julia was older than her name at first suggested. She looked good in a trouser suit, and her figure was above average for a woman of her age. She was not too tall or too short. Her looks though now showing signs of age, were still above average for a woman in her 50's. In her prime she would have scored an 8 or higher. Her lipstick was an almost a too obvious shade of cheap pink, but no, she had gone a shade darker as if to only hint at something more substantial to her character underneath.
   Bank branches are full of Julia's. Given her age she had probably spent a life time in this service work, her easy demeanour certainly suggested so. Whether this was a put on act. or just a ground down honest performance caused by of years of working in a mundane branch, I couldn't tell. Time had perfected her almost at times motherly character, and had the lipstick shade been a touch lighter then I would have not even bothered to write this post. As I left the room she gave me a sideways smile, as if for a moment giving all away to convention, almost. She walks a line just the right or wrong side of being a man pleaser. Not to much or too little, after all is dealing with your finances...However a short comment to my wife about children seemed almost like a punctuation of sorts that had to be said, or rather it was pure dogma that she felt she must include. It was a clumsy addition to an otherwise smooth performance,
   All in all I was quite pleased she was not the blond late 20 something with a figure to die for who attended to me on my last visit. Her tight bright red shirt and shortish skirt made it hard to take my visit, or anything she said seriously ! A mans mind can only deal with one thing at once. Money and sex do not mix well. She will be long gone, promoted City bound as eye candy at a worst case scenario. Maybe one day she will become a Julia too...

Toast Of London | Bonjovi, Madame Gaga and the Coldplay (S1-Ep5) | Chann...

Im slowly becoming out of touch too...

Im utterly sick of wet weather. O.K its December, but we recently broke a record for rainfall in this country as 12" fell in 24 hours in our region. Most days it rains now. The ground is so saturated that a mornings down pour can burst the banks of our local river, cutting off the village. There have been landslides in several parts of the dale, and houses with no history of flooding have experienced water running down hill sides into them. Some water that's come up through house floor boards has been described as gin clear. That's very odd, as it is  obviously coming from somewhere deep under ground, presumably from an over flowing water table. Enough is enough now.

Self Regulation

After a whole Summer of my internet cutting out, new routers and BT visits to check my phone line, I have reverted to using a cable to my WIFI hub. O.K its a method that seems back in the dark ages, but at least my connection doesn't cut off now after 2 minutes. Problem solved. Of course my laptop must stop near the router, and that has its advantages as it regulates my online usage, which can at times otherwise get out of hand. Im not adverse to waking up in the early hours to post something that's on my mind. Im getting more sleep now, and I don't waste time first thing in the morning logging on sat in bed. All in all it is an improvement however hard that maybe to take !